Does the Upcoming 2020 Honda Civic Type R Have a Carbon Roof?

Simplify and add lightness. Then let the VTEC kick in, yo.

Though Honda’s Swindon, U.K. plant is set to be shuttered in the very near future, the factory’s pièce de résistance Civic Type R will see one last update before it goes quietly into that good night. And based on the prototype running around the Nürburgring, the eighth-generation Civic Type R is set to once again set our pants on fire.

Details surrounding the updated Civic Type R are still quite murky, but based on the camouflaged prototype, the 2020 Civic Type R is going to get a handful of upgrades, possibly including a carbon fiber roof. As with most pre-production prototypes caught at the “Green Hell,” the Civic Type R prototype is wearing a number of camouflaged panels to hide updates and upgrades. And while camouflaged side-mirrors are fascinating, the camouflaged roof has us scratching our heads.

More and more performance manufacturers have been producing hardcore editions of performance cars with carbon fiber or magnesium roofs. This allows the engineers to both shed performance-sapping weight, as well as lower the car’s center of gravity to increase its cornering prowess and stability. And though this is still speculation, Honda did recently undertook a partnership with Ford and Volkswagen to research carbon fiber applications for more common consumer automobiles.

Even more interesting is a second Civic Type R prototype running on the Nürburgring’s tarmac that is wingless. There have been a number of consumers and journalists alike that believe the Civic Type R’s styling could be a little less aggressive. Especially in the rear aerodynamic department. A “Touring” model—borrowing from Porsche’s lexicon—could be the answer to those calls.

The current Honda Civic Type R is one of the best performance offerings on sale today. It outclasses many of its more expensive counterparts. We’re eager to see what Honda has up its sleeves to seemingly “improve” on such a winning formula.